ASB Investment Podcast

Sophisticated portfolio tools once reserved for institutional investors may now be within reach of everyday retail traders, with AI agents able to monitor stocks and execute trades automatically. Frank and Nigel explore new academic research suggesting human intervention may be doing more harm than good for investors using these tools, and what it might take to find a genuine edge when everyone ha...

ASB Investment Podcast host Nigel Grant sits down with Damien Venuto, Money Editor at Stuff, to explore how financial media shapes the way Kiwis think about money. From the fragility gripping household sentiment right now, to the dangers of following a single financial influencer, to why holding an individual stock for years may not pay off the way you think, Damien brings a sharp, independent len...

Frank and Nigel look back at the quarter that's just wrapped. They cover why US stocks could have had their strongest quarter in six years, what's driving the growing gap between AI-adjacent stocks and everything else, and how small caps managed a rally that's caught a few people off guard. Frank also digs into Rocket Lab's recent moves and what they could suggest about building a durable competit...

ASB Investment Podcast host Nigel Grant is joined by ASB Senior Economist Kim Mundy to unpack New Zealand's Q1 2026 GDP result, a stronger-than-expected print that signals a broadening economic recovery, with business investment lifting and domestic demand sectors starting to stir. But with Q2 already shaping up to contract, how fragile is that momentum? Kim breaks down what the numbers mean for h...

Frank & Nigel unpack the life and legacy of Alan Greenspan, the Federal Reserve chair who presided over 18 years of markets, coined the "Greenspan put," and left behind one of the most complicated legacies in modern economic history. They explore why Fed policy still moves markets more than almost anything else, what Greenspan got right and where his laissez-faire instincts led markets astray,...

Host Nigel Grant is joined by Lee Marshall, Managing Partner at Hunter Campbell and founder of the Mood of the CFO report, and Scott Maud, CFO of Halter, to unpack the headline findings from the 2026 edition of New Zealand's most comprehensive survey of finance leaders. They explore why NZ businesses are outperforming expectations despite a darkening global outlook, how CFOs are balancing cost dis...

Halfway through the year, Nigel Grant and ASB Chief Investment Officer Frank Jasper unpack global investment firm, KKR's mid-year outlook and the big themes shaping markets right now, geopolitical fragmentation and supply chain "choke points," the AI-driven productivity boom that could be underestimated, and what KKR calls a "higher resting heart rate" for inflation.

Host Nigel Grant is joined by Jessica Palalagi, Director of The Arts Foundation Te Tumu Toi and Amehl Smith, ASB's Head of Private Banking and lead for the bank's new partnership with the Foundation, to explore another type of investing that extends far beyond markets and portfolios - the investment in art, creativity, and people. They explore why ASB chose to back the Foundation, what makes inves...

It's Friday, and Nigel Grant is joined by ASB Chief Investment Officer Frank Jasper to make sense of a turbulent week in markets, particularly in the AI and semiconductor space. Frank breaks down the four factors behind the selloff, explores where long-term value in the AI economy could actually land (and why it may not be where most people expect), and explains how ASB's portfolios are currently...

Host Nigel Grant is joined by author and gender equity specialist Angela Meyer, co-founder of Hi Money and co-author of best selling book Money, Money, Money - to unpack why women consistently retire with less than men and what's really behind it. They explore the emotional and psychological side of money, the systemic barriers that compound over a lifetime, and what financial institutions could b...

Frank and Nigel dig into the three biggest IPOs on everyone's radar right now — SpaceX, Anthropic and OpenAI. Frank shares the framework he uses to evaluate any company coming to market: quality, growth and value. They cover why IPOs have historically been a tricky proposition for investors, what makes this particular crop of floats unlike anything seen before, and how the major indices could beco...

Host Nigel Grant is joined by ASB Senior Economist Chris Tennent-Brown to make sense of a week that gave Kiwi plenty to digest. They cover the RBNZ's split committee vote that may signal rate hikes are closer than many expected and turn to the 2026 Budget, which Chris describes as "prudent and boring" (and why that might actually be good news). They also explore what rising short-term interest rat...

In this edition of Fridays with Frank, Frank and Nigel dig into the SpaceX IPO, why it could be an AI and data centre story in disguise and what history tells us about IPO performance. Plus, the RBNZ rate decision and the knife edge the Reserve Bank now has to walk between inflation and a struggling domestic economy. Also, why the gap between NZ companies thriving offshore and those fighting the d...

Host Nigel Grant flies solo this episode to strip investing back to its roots. Using [his green thumb] as a guide, Nigel unpacks the core ideas every investor should have in their toolkit: what investing is really for, how to think about risk and return, why diversification matters, and the power of compounding. He also tackles one of the most common investing mistakes and shares why the patient g...

In this edition of Fridays with Frank, Frank and Nigel dig into why inflation is back on the market's radar, what a run of bad inflation prints in the US and Europe means for interest rates, and why protecting your purchasing power is the single biggest risk long term investors face. Plus, Nvidia just reported an 85% surge in revenue, what does the world's biggest public company tell us about wher...

Host Nigel Grant is joined by ASB Senior Economist Kim Mundy to unpack the latest ASB Housing Confidence Survey. They explore how the Middle East conflict has rapidly shifted interest rate expectations, cooled house price optimism, and put a lid on a recovery that was starting to gain momentum with Auckland feeling the sharpest impact. Plus, Kim shares why despite the uncertainty, there's a silver...

In this edition of Fridays with Frank. Frank & Nigel dig into why company-level AI spending is now driving the whole economy, why traditional diversification is getting harder, why rising global debt is a risk investors can't ignore and a few thoughts on what AI might be doing to us, as well as portfolios.

Host Nigel Grant is joined by ASB Senior Economist Chris Tennent-Brown to unpack the latest ASB Investor Confidence Survey for the March 2026 quarter.  They explore why global headlines from the ongoing Middle East conflict to shifting interest rate expectations are rattling investor sentiment, even as share markets push higher.  Plus, Chris shares why the gap between how investors feel and what m...

Welcome to the very first episode of Fridays with Frank - the new short-form Friday edition of the ASB Investment Podcast.   Each week, Nigel Grant and Frank Jasper wrap up the biggest market stories of the week in a quick, conversational format designed to get you up to speed before the weekend.  

In this solo episode, Nigel Grant answers some of the most common investment questions, using storytelling to unpack market volatility, interest rates, timing decisions, and more.  Along the way, we explore: ·       Why markets react so strongly to headlines (and what Chicken Little can teach us) ·       The real risk of “waiting it out” vs staying invested. ·       What’s actually going on with i...

Retirement isn’t a finish line – it’s a whole new phase of life, and it comes with a price tag many people don’t fully anticipate. In this episode host Nigel Grant is joined by Professor Claire Matthews from Massey University to break down the true cost of retirement in New Zealand. From the impact of inflation and longer life expectancy to the role of housing, superannuation and personal spending...

ASB CEO Vittoria Shortt joins host Nigel Grant for an open and thoughtful conversation on what shapes financial wellbeing in New Zealand. Vittoria reflects on the early experiences that sparked her passion for finance, why volatility is a fact of investing, and how long‑term thinking – from KiwiSaver to infrastructure – can help New Zealanders build confidence, resilience and progress over time.

With KiwiSaver contribution rate increases effective from this month, host Nigel Grant sat down with ASB Head of Wealth Advisory Ngaire Angus and Senior Economist Chris Tennent-Brown to discuss the recent and future changes to KiwiSaver and what New Zealanders should be thinking about, as well as all the options available to them.

Sudden market moves can trigger big emotions. In this episode host Nigel Grant and ASB Chief Investment Officer Frank Jasper explain what’s behind the recent volatility, why market ups and downs are a normal part of investing, and the common mistakes investors make during uncertain times. Plus, the key principles that can help you stay invested and focused on the long term.

ASB economists Chris Tennent Brown and Kim Mundy join host Nigel Grant to unpack two ASB surveys revealing a shift in how New Zealanders think about housing, KiwiSaver and investing. With confidence slowly rebounding, they explore why investment preferences are changing, what’s driving housing sentiment, and the key questions to ask before making your next move.